"Is it not time, for example, that we asked ourselves if the abuse of power by elected representatives in high places or, say, the rezoning of land by elected representatives for possible personal gain, is as much a criminal act requiring at least the same treatment as a penniless man or woman found begging who is liable on conviction to be sentenced to one month in jail?
"I believe it is time for the people of this country to start addressing these questions and for the legislators to start finding answers to them."
So said presidential candidate Derek Nally - in 1983, in an address to the Sociological Society in UCC.
Mr Nally's outward appearance belies a progressive and at times radical thinker. He is a grey-haired 61-year-old former Garda in a suit. He talks slowly in simple, direct language in a country accent. You won't hear him enthuse about rainbows or outreach.
Yet the conservative image does not accurately reflect his politics. Crime has been the central issue in his career, but he is not from the "hang 'em and flog 'em" school of criminology. He talks about dealing with the social causes of crime as well as helping the victims of crime. He is said to have relatively liberal views on a range of other issues.
Campaigns for other candidates say they are not unduly worried. He has no political party behind him and no ready-made campaign infrastructure. He is last into the field against four others who have been putting their team and itineraries together for two weeks or more. Ladbrokes bookmakers last night put him down as the 50 to 1 outsider, fifth behind Dana at 33 to 1, Mary Banotti at 3 to 1, Adi Roche at 6 to 4 and Mary McAleese, the favourite, at 4 to 5.
It is early to assess Mr Nally's appeal. He doesn't seek support on the grounds that he is a man, but the fact that he is a man running against a field of four women will undoubtedly be of some help. His gender, age and demeanour will make him stand out and provide a contrast to the tone of the campaign so far.
While he lacks an obvious campaign machine, he has a nationwide network of contacts from his time as chairman of Victim Support, as a garda, as a garda representative and earlier from his extensive involvement in youth work. He could yet galvanise these contacts into something approaching a nationwide organisation.
Nally earned the reputation of a workaholic during his career as a garda. A native of Thurles, Co Tipperary, he joined the Garda in 1957 at the age of 20. He rose to the rank of detective sergeant in 1983, and spent eight years as general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI).
During Mr Nally's period at the head of the AGSI the organisation eclipsed the Garda Representative Association in terms of media profile and influence.
The AGSI became known for far more than its views on Garda pay and conditions and the level of resources available to the force. It expressed views on the criminal justice system, the operation of the courts and the prisons as well as very contentious political issues of the day.
In 1982, for example, the AGSI adopted a motion recommending a change in the extradition laws, a move which enraged the Haugheyled Fianna Fail government. During the term of office of the 19731977 Cosgrave-led coalition he went to a senior politician to express concern about the mistreatment of some suspects while in Garda custody.
Mr Nally encouraged gardai to travel abroad and learn from practices in other more sophisticated forces. He campaigned for an independent complaints procedure for complaints against the Garda. The AGSI published a discussion document on community policing in the early 1980s.
He retired from the force in 1987 at the age of 50 to operate his own private investigation business, and is now managing director of a group of security companies. He was named British investigator of the year in 1995 and received a similar honour from the Council of International Investigators in 1996.
He was the founder and driving force behind the Irish Association of Victim Support, acting as its first chairman and now honorary president. For his work on behalf of Victim Support he was awarded the "Person of the Year" award in 1995 for his "outstanding contribution to society in Ireland".
Earlier in his career he was heavily involved in youth work around the State, being chairman of the National Federation of Youth Clubs and vice-chairman of the National Youth Council of Ireland, vice-chairman of the Council of European National Youth Committees as well as being a member of other Council of Europe and European youth institutions.
He must now construct a platform outlining a vision for the Presidency, and must articulate opinions on a range of issues beyond his traditional ground of crime.
But his success has already had one far-reaching effect. The success of Dana in obtaining a presidential nomination through the support of four local authorities shook the cosy cartel of political parties that controlled the route of entry to the post. Derek Nally's success, against an active campaign to block him launched by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, appears to have ended it.